Most businesses, government agencies, schools and other organizations employ dedicated communications systems (also referred to herein as “networks”) that enable computers, servers, printers, facsimile machines, telephones, security cameras and the like to communicate with each other, through a private network, and with remote locations via a telecommunications service provider. Such communications system may be hard-wired through, for example, the walls and/or ceilings of a building using communications cables and connectors. Individual communications connectors (which are also referred to herein as “connector ports”) are mounted in offices, conference rooms and other work areas throughout the building. The communications cables and any intervening connectors provide communications paths from the connector ports (e.g., modular wall jacks) in offices and other rooms, hallways and common areas of the building (referred to herein as “work area outlets”) to network equipment (e.g., network switches, servers, memory storage devices, etc.) that may be located in a computer room, telecommunications closet or the like. Communications cables from external telecommunication service providers may also terminate within the computer room or telecommunications closet.
A commercial data center is a facility that may be used to run the computer-based applications that handle the core electronic business and operational data of one or more organizations. The expansion of the Internet has also led to a growing need for so-called “Internet data centers,” which are data centers that are used by online retailers, Internet portals, search engine companies and the like to provide large numbers of users simultaneous, secure, high-speed, fail-safe access to their web sites. Both types of data centers may host hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of servers, routers, memory storage systems and other associated equipment. In these data centers, fiber optic communications cables and/or communications cables that include four differential pairs of insulated conductive (e.g., copper) wires are typically used to provide a hard-wired communications system that interconnects the data center equipment.
In both office network and data center communications systems, the communications cables that are connected to end devices (e.g., network servers, memory storage devices, network switches, work area computers, printers, facsimile machines, telephones, etc.) may terminate into one or more communications patching systems that may simplify later connectivity changes. Typically, a communications patching system includes one or more “patch panels” that are mounted on equipment rack(s) or in cabinet(s), and a plurality of “patch cords” that are used to make interconnections between different pieces of equipment. As is known to those of skill in the art, a “patch cord” refers to a communications cable (e.g., a cable that includes four differential pairs of copper wires or a fiber optic cable) that has a connector such as, for example, an RJ-45 plug or a fiber optic connector, on at least one end thereof. A “patch panel” refers to an inter-connection device that includes a plurality (e.g., 24 or 48) of connector ports. Each connector port (e.g., an RJ-45 jack or a fiber optic adapter) on a patch panel may have a plug aperture on a front side thereof that is configured to receive the connector of a patch cord (e.g., an RJ-45 plug or MPO plug), and the back end of each connector port may be configured to receive a communications cable. The patching system may optionally include a variety of additional equipment such as rack managers, system managers and other devices that facilitate making and/or tracking patching connections.
In a typical office network, “horizontal” cables are used to connect each work area outlet to the back end of a respective connector port on a first set of patch panels. The first end of each of these horizontal cables is terminated into the connector port of a respective one of the work area outlets, and the second end of each of these horizontal cables is terminated into a respective one of the connector ports on the patch panel. In an “inter-connect” patching system, a single set of patch cords is used to directly connect the connector ports on a first set of patch panels to respective connector ports on network switches. In a “cross-connect” patching system, a second set of patch panels is provided, and the first set of patch cords is used to connect the connector ports on the first set of patch panels to respective connector ports on the second set of patch panels, and the second set of typically single-ended patch cords is used to connect the connector ports on the second set of patch panels to respective connector ports on the network switches. In both inter-connect and cross-connect patching systems the cascaded set of plugs, jacks and cable segments that connect a connector port on a network switch to a work area end device is typically referred to as a channel.
The connections between the work area end devices and the network switches may need to be changed for a variety of reasons, including equipment changes, adding or deleting users, office moves, etc. In an inter-connect patching system, these connections are typically changed by rearranging the patch cords in the set of patch cords that run between the first set of patch panels and the network switches. In a cross-connect patching system, the connections between the work area end devices and the network switches are typically changed by rearranging the patch cords in the set of patch cords that run between the first set of patch panels and the second set of patch panels. Both types of patching systems allow a network manager to easily implement connectivity changes by simply unplugging one end of a patch cord from a first connector port on one of the patch panels in the first set of patch panels and then plugging that end of the patch cord into a second connector port on one of the patch panels in the first set of patch panels. In data centers, horizontal cables may be routed between patching fields, and similar connection changes are also routinely required in data center environments.
The connectivity between the connector ports on the network switches and the work area outlets is typically recorded in a computer-based log. Each time patching changes are made, this computer-based log is updated to reflect the new patching connections. Unfortunately, in practice technicians may neglect to update the log each and every time a change is made, and/or may make errors in logging changes. As such, the logs may not be complete and/or accurate.
In order to reduce or eliminate such logging errors, a variety of systems have been proposed that automatically log the patch cord connections in a communications patching system. These automated patching systems typically use special “intelligent” patch panels that employ sensors, radio frequency identification tags, serial ID chips and the like and/or special patch cords that include an additional conductor to detect patch cord insertions and removals and/or to automatically track patching connections. Typically, these systems require that all of the patch panels in the patching system have these automatic tracking capabilities and, in inter-connect systems, may also require that the network switches include automatic tracking capabilities as well. An exemplary intelligent patching system is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0109892, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
It may be desirable to provide components and/or kits that enable existing patch panels, whether outfitted as intelligent patch panels or not, to be upgraded to subsequent versions of intelligent patch panels.